Just Doodling

Just doodling. . .and some random practice lettering.

Oh the winding road. . .

Trying to overcome the urge to always cover the entire paper in pigment.   The calligraphy needs a bit of work though.

                          Watercolor on 180lbs paper (with a touch of brown ink)

Horse - De Atramentis Document Brown Ink Test

So, I was finally able to obtain some De Atramentis document brown ink.  Getting a hold of this ink in the US is like winning the lottery (I have been trying since the summer).  And having the chance to actually get to play with it, I can see why it it is so valued.  

Wow.  This ink is just smooth.  I did a quick sketch using a dip pen (kuretake comic book nib) and the ink flowed smoothly and gracefully on the paper.  What a joy.  Since the ink is waterproof, I added some Noodler's kiowa pecan to blend for shadows.  The sketch was finished off with a bit of watercolor.

                          Pen & Ink on 180lbs paper (with a touch of watercolor)

Saber Toothed Tiger

I was reading a National Geographic article on reviving extint species (de-extinction).  The article dealt with the science and of course the morality of the decision (would these reintroduced species become invasive and kill off other extant species?).  The article described the work of a team of Spanish and French scientists who reversed time to rivive a wild goat known as a bucardo, or Phyrenean ibex.  Unfortately, the one hybrid clone out of 57 that was born alive died within minutes of birth.  The science of "how" is far from being completely elucidated.

One of the cooler parts of the article (as if de-extiction is not cool enough itself), was the various artist renditions and models of animals like the wooly mammoth, thylacine and of course, the saber-toothed tiger.  Of all the species described, this one fires my imagination the most.  And like the drawing of the rhinos, I again choose to make my own toned paper and drew with a dip nib and brown ink.  Parts of the drawing does look faded as I tried out an newer brown ink (which I did not like) before finishing with the nut brown ink.

                         Nut brown ink on toned 140 lbs watercolor paper 9x12

2 Rhinos - ink

Okay, this one is pretty cool. I have always loved the ye olde style medical illustrations on tanned parchment paper.  But it is hard to find toned paper that can handle watercolor.

So for this drawing, I made my own toned paper.  First I taped a border with masking tape.  Next, I toned the paper using a light wash of raw sienna and quin orange (I cannot tell the difference).  I did not distribute the wash evenly, giving the paper an older, weathered look. The drawing is in free hand (using a photo reference) directly in ink (winsor & newton nut brown) using a kuretake comic book nib in a tachikawa nib holder.  I love the different line weights that this nib can create.

I love the white border that is created by removing the tape, it frames the drawing nicely.

                          Nut brown ink on toned 140 lbs watercolor paper 10x7